The British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Lever, has concluded a three-day visit to Kwara State, reaffirming the United Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with Nigeria at the sub-national level.

The visit, which lasted from May 11 to 13, 2026, featured meetings with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is also Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and the First Lady of Kwara State, Olufolake AbdulRazaq.

The Deputy High Commissioner also visited the Ilorin Innovation Hub, engaged with civil society organisations and religious leaders, granted a radio interview on Diamond 88.8 FM, and paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.

The visit comes on the heels of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom in March 2026 — the first by a Nigerian president in 37 years — during which both countries secured a £746 million ports deal and expanded cooperation on economic development and security.

During discussions with Governor AbdulRazaq, Lever explored opportunities to deepen economic ties and support job creation in Kwara State.

She highlighted the UK’s Manufacturing Africa programme, which is currently providing technical support to two Kwara-based companies — Bespoke Design Concepts and Bacita Sugar Company — to help them attract investment, expand operations and create jobs.

The Deputy High Commissioner also spoke on the United Kingdom’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which offers duty-free or near duty-free access to the UK market for about 3,000 Nigerian products, including shea, cashew and sesame.

She encouraged the Kwara State Government to raise awareness of the scheme among producers, cooperatives and exporters to enable them maximise the opportunities provided under the arrangement.

A separate meeting with the First Lady focused on women’s economic empowerment, the Special Seats Bill, and efforts to end violence against women and girls.

The UK, according to Lever, has supported the Nigerian Governors’ Spouses Forum for four consecutive years by providing technical and financial support for advocacy against violence against women and girls.

As part of the visit, the Deputy High Commissioner toured the Olufolake Safe Haven at the Stella Obasanjo Multi-Purpose Hall in Ilorin, a facility providing care and protection for vulnerable children.

Accompanied by the First Lady, she also visited the Sexual Assault Referral Centre at Sobi Specialist Hospital, where she received briefings on survivor-centred services and coordinated responses to sexual and gender-based violence.

The visits, she noted, underscored the UK’s commitment to safeguarding vulnerable groups, improving access to justice and strengthening systems that protect women and children.

Kwara State has gained recognition for women’s representation in governance, with Governor AbdulRazaq appointing women to more than half of all cabinet positions. The state also moved from having no elected female officials in 2019 to five female members in the House of Assembly by 2023.

In 2024, AbdulRazaq was decorated as a HeForShe Ambassador.

Lever also visited the Ilorin Innovation Hub, where she met young Nigerians involved in technology and entrepreneurship, particularly women.

She announced that the UK would support the Hub’s participation in London Tech Week in June 2026 to connect innovators from Kwara with investors, markets and technology networks in the United Kingdom.

The Deputy High Commissioner further held talks with the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, on security trends and the UK’s continued support for preventive and institution-strengthening approaches.

The UK’s security partnership with Nigeria, including counter-terrorism cooperation and the counter-drone defence commitment announced during Tinubu’s state visit, remains a key aspect of bilateral relations.

Speaking on the visit, Lever commended the Kwara State Government for its reforms and commitment to inclusion.

“Kwara has given us the warmest of welcomes, and it has been genuinely inspiring to see a state that is not just talking about change but delivering it. Governor AbdulRazaq’s commitment to women’s representation in government is remarkable — moving from zero elected female officials to a cabinet where women hold roughly half of all positions is the kind of leadership the whole of Nigeria can look to as a model.

“When I spent time with the young innovators at the Ilorin Innovation Hub, particularly the young women building technology businesses right here in Kwara, I was reminded of exactly why the UK is so invested in Nigeria’s future.” (Channels TV)

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